Liam Harrison gives former rival Masaaki Noiri his flowers for Tawanchai TKO in Japan: "Proved just how good he is"
It isn't easy to impress British martial arts icon Liam Harrison, but a former rival of his, Masaaki Noiri, did just that when he delivered big time at ONE 172.
The Team Vasileus superstar stunned Tawanchai PK Saenchai in the third round via TKO to walk out of the Saitama Super Arena on March 23 as the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion.
While Tawanchai was firing on all cylinders in the early goings of the contest, the Japanese talent slowly started to turn the tide in his favor behind leg kicks and combinations, and wrapped up proceedings with a crushing hook at 1:55 of the third canto:
"That just proved how good he is under the kickboxing ruleset. But yeah, I can say that I'm glad Noiri won. He's a proper, nice guy. I've known him for a while as well. We fought a long time ago in Japan," Liam Harrison told the Bangkok Post's Nick Atkin in a recent interview.
Harrison, like Tawanchai, suffered a defeat to the former K-1 two-division champion when they squared off under the Glory banner in May 2013.
Noiri's statement win in 'The Land of the Rising Sun' earned him his second promotional win, 26 pounds of gold, and a cool US$50,000 performance bonus.
Missed his highlight-reel KO? Fear not, the full event replay of ONE 172 is available to combat sports enthusiasts for free at watch.onefc.com.
Watch Harrison's interview with the Bangkok Post below:
Liam Harrison gears up for ONE Championship return in Denver
Liam Harrison is back for another possible last dance on the global stage when the organization returns to North America for ONE 173: Denver on Aug. 1.
The three-time Muay Thai world champion seeks his third promotional triumph in Ball Arena, almost a year since he was flattened by 'The Man Who Yields To No One' Seksan Or Kwanmuang at ONE 168: Denver.
Harrison faces battle-tested veteran Soe Lin Oo in a bantamweight Muay Thai tilt. The Myanmar slugger is out to put his three-match skid to bed, but it will be far from easy against someone as technical and experienced as 'Hitman'.